Whence We Came
by Rhino7
Summary: When the Heartless came, everything changed.' Cid, Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon escape from Radiant Garden. Rated for violence and Cid's mouth.


**Whence We Came**

**By Rhino7**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, its characters or storyline. This one-shot is mine. Warning: in order to keep Cid in character, he has a bad potty mouth in this. I really hope this isn't cliché, because it seems like everybody is writing how the Restoration Committee escaped Radiant Garden prior to Kingdom Hearts. I thought I'd take a shot at it too. This is the longest one-shot I've written in a while, so…yeah…Anyway, constructive feedback is always welcome and appreciated!**

**..:--X--:..**

Eleven years old was too young to handle a gun.

Eleven was too young to lose both of your parents.

Eleven was too damn young to be seeing this.

Unfortunately, those black monsters knew no age.

Cursing under his breath, Cid pushed the loaded semi-automatic hand gun into the little girl's hands. Her dark eyes widened at the surprising weight and cold steel.

"All right, now you listen good." He instructed, sliding two more guns into his belt and taking up the machete lodged into the drywall of the house. "You see any of those mother—any of those dark things, you shoot 'em til they explode, you go it?"

The little girl, he'd heard Aerith call her Yuffie, blinked, "B-but, mister, I can fight 'em…"

"Lord—" Cid took out three full clips. "I don't care. You can fight 'em later. Right now, you stick close to me and shoot at any of those monsters who get close, all right?"

Yuffie swallowed hard, eyes swimming in tears despite trying her hardest to look tough. She nodded stiffly and held the gun in both hands. "Okay."

Cid straightened, looking around the disemboweled house, and jerked his head toward the door. "Come on, then."

The unlikely two hastened out of the ruined Kisaragi house, the two mangled bodies of Yuffie's parents left behind. Cid had seen too many bodies today. In the span of the last four hours, half of Radiant Garden had been blown to bits and left burning. Those black creatures with the white eyes were running amok, trampling and slaughtering people left and right. They were fast and they weren't hesitant to kill. It wasn't even animalistic. Just sheer…violence.

"Aeri—" Yuffie started to yell out.

Cid threw out a hand and clamped it over her mouth, dragging her back a few steps and out of the street. Any noise outside of explosions and death rattles would draw those monsters like a moth to the flame. He didn't want to particularly be this moth's flame. Yuffie slapped at his hands, struggling to get her jaw free.

He shushed her and scanned the opposite street. He'd left Aerith at the Bailey with two shotguns and enough buckshot to fell an elephant. What the Sam Hell was she doing out in the residential area? Sure enough, though, he spotted the teenaged girl, bright sundress and all, ducking and hopping around the mounds of busted concrete and twisted metal, looking around wildly, no weapon in sight.

When Yuffie had stilled, Cid released her with a sharp gesture to remain silent. She nodded with wide eyes and peeked around him to see her friend. Cid gestured for her to stay put and when she nodded he crept out from behind their hiding place and out into the street so Aerith could see him.

Aerith's green eyes were large and tears were streaming freely down her cheeks. She turned in time to see Cid across the street. Looking around furtively, she hurried over to meet him.

"I can't find Cloud. He called me when I was at the Bailey but the signal cut out—"

"The things tore down the communication towers." He put in.

"—and I tried to call back, but it wouldn't go through and he didn't sound right on the phone. I got worried and came looking for him, but I can't find him." She was sputtering.

Cid ran a hand through his hair. He was having a hard enough time just keeping any initial survivors alive without going on wild goose chases to find their love interests. Regardless, he wasn't leaving anybody behind if he could help it.

"All right, you get that girl back to the Bailey. My airship is still there with enough ammo to survive the Apocalypse, and damned if this ain't that." He said, steering her toward Yuffie.

"But Cloud—"

"I'll look for him if you'll just go." Cid urged.

"Promise?" Aerith said, jogging with him back to Yuffie and shit if both girls didn't look five years old with their wide, terrified eyes.

They were too damn young for war.

"I'll do what I can, now go!" Cid handed her one of his two guns.

Pacifist his ass, Aerith snatched that gun up with a hunger for the security of it. Cid watched Aerith take Yuffie's hand and they started back toward the Bailey. Cid gritted his teeth and wished he hadn't used up the last of his matches to light the gun powder in the Marketplace. Then again, those monsters had gone up in smoke pretty quick when they landed in the flames.

He turned and moved deeper into the residential district of downtown Radiant Garden. The black beasts were still roaming the streets freely, but not as savagely, it seemed. They were running out of human meat to ravage. They were getting bored. White eyed cock suckers.

An unhinged shriek of pain cut across the chaos and Cid unconsciously started in the direction it had come from. His old fishing buddy, whom everybody just called Colonel, was nowhere to be seen, but the man's house was in ribbons. Roughly a dozen humanoid black creatures were climbing over the crumbling walls, stuffing themselves into the broken windows. By the way they were scrambling, those monsters were after something.

Live human.

Cid ran up to the fence encasing the Colonel's property and scaled it quickly, dropping to his haunches on the other side. Whoever was still alive in there was causing a ruckus. Knowing the Colonel, he was half drunk and shooting bazookas from the wine cellar…

One of the creatures launched out of the front door, its smoky black insides spilling out of a gaping slash across its torso. It staggered and fell to dust a second later. Cid had only seen a few of the fuckers die, but it sure was satisfying. Looked like the thing had been done in with a sword. He remembered that Cloud kid was pretty good with weapons, but this wasn't his part of town.

Cid was crossing the front yard just as the Colonel's son staggered out the door, three of the black monsters latched to his mid section. The kid was fighting like the devil was on him, but it was a losing battle. He had a weapon, a thick bladed sword, but with a crooked handle like none Cid had ever seen. Probably his old man's.

"Hey!" Cid barked, whipping out his remaining gun.

The younger man jerked and spun toward Cid at his voice. Cid leveled his gun at the monster's head bobbing right over the guy's shoulder. The black skull exploded as the slug punched it and the body fell away.

"Shit!" The teenager jumped, coughing on the dust left behind by the slain monster.

"Hold still." Cid ran over, shoving his gun back into his belt and pulling out his machete.

"I can't—their claws—" He thrashed, dropping the sword he'd been holding.

Cid grunted and grabbed the younger man by the scruff of the neck, bending his upper half forward so his back was parallel to the ground. The two remaining creatures hooked to his shoulders glared and hissed as Cid swung his machete over them, slicing them clean through and dragging them off the kid.

Kid, right. Boy looked around 16 going on 45. Cid let go of his neck and he straightened, not saying anything but just snatching up his fallen sword.

"You gonna make it?" Cid asked.

"Cid?" The teen coughed, forcibly stilling the tremble in his shoulders.

"Squall, right? Where're your parents?" Cid asked.

"Gone…dead, I think—" He looked around, disgusted. "Those things are all over the place. If we push them back to the pier, we might be able to—"

"Kid, there ain't no 'pushing them back' nowhere. They're here and we shouldn't be." Cid turned, "Come on."

"What?" Squall blurted. "We can't just leave. People—"

"Are dead." Cid finished for him. "I've only come across two people still alive, one barely house trained. The other…she ain't much better."

"Rinoa?" Squall stammered.

"Aerith." Cid corrected. "You seen a guy named Cloud? Wild ass blond hair, kinda awkward fella?"

"No." Squall shook his head briefly, "There has to be more people around here. You've got tons of weapons, we could—"

"Get ourselves killed. There ain't no sense in saving the dead. We gotta get the living out of here and runnin' around with one gun, a machete, and a sword won't see that end." Cid ground out.

It was harsh, he knew, but he couldn't waste time molly-coddling the only other able-bodied man, if barely one, and hope to get them all out of this hell hole alive. He looked back to Squall to gauge how he was doing. Shaken, had to give him that, but he looked pissed beyond anything else. Cid dropped his eyes to the sword in his hands. A well crafted Gunblade. Colonel Leonhart, that old son of a bitch still had one.

"You know how to handle that piece of machinery?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." was the quick response.

"You heard a gun fire before, close range?"

"Yes, sir."

"You want to survive this?"

Squall looked him straight in the eye. "I want those monsters out of here."

Cid narrowed his eyes, "Close but no cigar. There are millions of them, and two of us. Let's go."

"Where?"

"The Bailey. I got a ship to get us out of here."

" Out of…"

Cid heard the lingering question, but he didn't trust himself to answer it. "Just come on."

They left the overrun residential district relatively easily. Cid kept an eye out for Cloud, but the young man was nowhere to be seen. It knotted his insides to think how he'd have to explain this to Aerith, but more and more black monsters were showing up and they had to get out of Radiant Garden now while they still had a chance.

Upon reaching the square, they spotted a man backed into a corner. He was fending off a circle of feral monsters with a lit torch. The black beings jumped away as he swung the torch, but they immediately swarmed at him again afterward. The man, Cid recognized him but couldn't remember his name, looked up and saw Cid and Squall.

"Help! Help me, please!" He cried out.

Cid kept a wary eye on the teenager behind him. Squall was getting punchy and would probably jump anything that had a shadow at the moment. He pulled out his gun and fired into the mass of the invaders. Six of them dissolved into smoke before his gun ran out. By then, the beasts had turned their attention to Cid and Squall.

"Cover me." Cid removed the spent clip and dug into his pocket for a fresh one.

Give teenagers an inch…

Squall had his Gunblade up and was slashing at the creatures left and right, like some sort of wild animal. You see your parents get killed you either go catatonic or freak out. This kid went the freak out route. Hey, as long as the means killed the cause…

Cid slid in the fresh clip just as one massive beast roared out from behind the nearest apartment building. It had to stand nearly 50 feet high with thick, winding tendrils of black coiled around its head. Clenching a clawed fist, the thing smashed its hand into the ground behind Cid.

The shock waves made the concrete buckle. The civilian man tripped and fell over, scrambling out of the circle of smaller monsters and getting to his feet between Cid and Squall, who was still butchering the smaller ones. More dog-sized black beings were climbing out of the hole in the concrete where the giant's fist had hit.

The giant retracted his fist and Cid lifted his gun, shooting once. The bullet honed in and punched into one of those sightless yellow eyes. The thing roared and swung its arm out.

"Watch it!" Cid ducked out of the way.

Squall grabbed the other man's arm and dropped to his knees. The man didn't duck so quickly. The giant's arm caught his shoulder and smashed into his head. Cid saw the man's head bend back flat between his shoulders, his neck cracking loudly. Momentum threw the rest of the body with the monster's arm into the nearest building.

Shoving his gun into his belt again, Cid ran over and dragged Squall to his feet. "This is too big, we—"

He was cut short as Squall shoved off his grip, lifting his Gunblade in both hands and connecting the thick of the blade into the coiled black skin of the giant. He must have triggered the mechanism in the Gunblade because the skin broke and the blade sunk through to bone like a hot knife through butter. The giant black creature roared in pain as its hand fell away from its arm at the wrist.

Infuriated now, it swung the stump of an arm out, catching Squall in the stomach and slinging him back against the brick wall of the apartment building. Cid heard bones crack and could only hope it wasn't his neck. The giant started to move forward to finish its prey off. Cid glanced over to where Squall had slumped to the ground, bloody and dazed, and then looked around frantically for something to…to what? Distract that giant mother fucker? Cid was an ANT to this thing!

WARNING: HIGHLY FLAMMABLE.

The words snagged his eyes and he squinted, making out the partially buried gas tank in the alley across the street. A dry chuckle died in his throat. You couldn't make up luck like that. Jumping up and sprinting around the clumps of debris to reach Squall, Cid threw his arm back and fired twice.

One of the bullets hit its mark, and the gas tank exploded. The thunder of the explosion and the impending heat wave shoved Cid the rest of the way. He hit his knees, leaned forward, and blocked the teenager from as much inevitable flying bits of tank and fire as he could. From the loud, screeching bellow behind him, it sounded like the monster was their best shield.

Squall was grappling with his Gunblade, trying to lever himself up into a sitting position.

"Hey, hold it—" Cid started.

"I can kill it." Squall hissed.

"What?"

"I did that…See, I cut the bastard's hand off. I bet I could kill it."

"Yeah, and get yourself killed in the process." Cid felt a mass of relief at seeing the kid moving his arms and legs…leg…

Squall's left leg was bent slightly halfway down the shin, a nasty break that would need setting…later. Blood was seeping through his pant leg around the break, so it was compound. Cid swallowed a curse. Luck was running out and their window of opportunity to get the Hell out of here was shrinking by the minute.

"Your leg's busted. Gimme your arm." He instructed, taking Squall's left arm without waiting for his consent.

"It's fine, I can—"

"You can't do jack shit with a leg like that." Cid said bitingly.

The smaller minions of the giant were crawling over the jagged chunks of busted concrete, swarming toward the two. Jamming his gun into his back pocket, Cid leaned forward and got his shoulder into Squall's stomach, getting his knees under him and standing up. Before the younger man could argue, Cid had hauled him over one shoulder so that Squall was facing the opposite direction.

Cid grabbed up the fallen Gunblade and turned toward the Bailey while Squall's back buckled over his shoulder, groaning with the vertigo and the obvious pain in his leg.

"Sorry, kiddo, time for compromise is over." Cid grunted, half in apology and half just to get a rise out of him.

The giant beast was preoccupied with clawing at the epicenter of the tank explosion, either too stupid or too in pain to notice Cid picking their way out of the district. The smaller creatures were swarming after him though. By himself he could have easily outrun them, but with another good 180 pounds on his shoulders, it slowed the going.

Something swatted at his waist and he glanced down quick enough to see Squall pull the gun from Cid's back pocket. Smart move. Take out a few of those things while keeping his mind occupied. Gun reports thundered through the square, the rapid fire of the semi-automatic accompanied by several dying cries of the filthy things.

"Eat it, you ugly fuckers!" Squall yelled at his targets.

Not a bad shot, Cid thought, hearing the creatures dying behind him.

The Bailey came in to view soon enough and Cid spotted Aerith squatting in the cockpit of his airship, shot gun cocked and leveled, ready to go. Yuffie's head was barely visible over the rim of the open cab, but they both looked okay, alive at least. Both girls turned toward the sound of Squall's gunfire just as the gun ran empty.

Squall barked something incoherent and Cid felt another weight slam into his back. Claws tore at his shirt and the machete tucked into his belt slid free.

"Cid!" Aerith hopped out of the cockpit, holding the shotgun aloft.

Cid felt Squall's elbow slam into the small of his back and the black creature fell away. Squall groaned and Cid picked up the pace. Yuffie sat up to view the commotion and her eyes bugged.

"Is he dead?!" She yelped.

Aerith glanced back, "Yuffie, buckle in." She looked to Cid. "Is he—"

"I'm fine." Squall grunted, but his voice sounded muffled.

"Leg's busted. Help me get him in the back." Cid instructed.

"I'm not an invalid." Squall huffed indignantly.

"Oh my—" Aerith gasped as Cid leaned forward.

Squall slid off his shoulder and sat heavily on the fin of the airship, immediately drawing a hand across his face. Cid straightened, checked his leg, and looked up. Squall's face was all blood, blossoming from somewhere around his forehead and coating the entire center of his face.

"Shit…" Cid set the Gunblade down.

Now that he was vertical and not being toted around, Squall kept his palm flat over his face. Blood gushed over his fingers and soaked through his gloves. Cid grimaced but noted that both of his eyes were intact. Whatever had gotten him, it had only hit skin.

"What happened?" Aerith asked breathlessly.

Cid climbed up into the cockpit and rummaged in the glove compartment until he found a clean shammy. It wasn't much, but it was porous enough.

"Those black creatures, that's what happened." He put the cloth in Squall's other hand, nudging his shoulder. "Come on, we gotta go."

Squall changed hands, holding the cloth over the gushing blood and more or less standing up on one leg on his own. Cid and Aerith assisted him into the cockpit, where he immediately shrugged them off and slumped into one of the seats.

"Did you find Cloud?" Aerith asked, climbing into the other back seat to keep an eye on Squall.

Cid looked to his co-pilot to see Yuffie swinging her legs from the seat. "Aerith, get up here and put the half pint out of range to push all the panel buttons."

"I won't push 'em!" Yuffie folded her arms stubbornly, hunching in her seat.

Aerith looked at Cid from the back seat. "Did you?" She repeated.

Cid ran a hand down his face and closed the cockpit door, strapping himself into the pilot seat. "No, not hide nor hair. He might be holed up somewhere with some other survivors." He offered.

"You said there weren't any other survivors." Squall said, leaning his head back to stem the bleeding.

Aerith paled, "There have to be more survivors."

"Are you sure he's not dying?" Yuffie craned her neck to get a better look at Squall.

"Yes, he's fine, turn around and don't move your seat too much." Aerith said gently.

Cid's nerves were almost shot.

Gunning the ignition, he squared his shoulders toward the windshield and saw a sea of black bubbling up in the Great Maw. Holy Hell…He narrowed his eyes and revved the engine until it coughed and roared to life. He'd been a pilot since his early teenaged years and could damn near well fly anything with wings, some things without wings. Regardless, he'd never flown something into space before.

What better time to learn?

The fuel in the back ignited and the thrusters blasted flames against the far wall. Scanning the status gauges, Cid adjusted the incline coordinates and gripped the steering wheel, edging forward out from under the cover of the Bailey. They'd need fifty feet to get the ship in the air safely. From the looks of things they had about thirty-five.

"Hold on." He muttered.

The girl beside him shuddered, her hands gripping the arm rests so tightly her knuckles were already white. Her eyes were still impossibly wide and unblinking as she stared through the windshield. Cid swallowed and turned his eyes back to the task before him. He had to get this mass of flying metal into the air and get them all out of here…because eleven was just too fucking young to die.

Demanding more of the thrusters, he pushed harder on the stick. The ship groaned in protest and began to speed up as it taxied down the makeshift runway. He gritted his teeth, gripping the wheel hard as the craft propelled forward, catching speed and running with it.

The gloaming sky of late evening glowed pink and orange and inviting. Cid swallowed again and started to verbally demand the ship to do the impossible.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." He growled.

The airship gathered more speed. The runway shrank further. Cid felt himself being pushed back into his seat by the force of it. He pulled up on the wheel, letting the landing gear flirt with the air. The ship bobbed a few times, connecting back to the rock ground.

"Come on, come on…"

He jerked at the wheel again. The ship lifted, hovering over the ground. Pulling harder, he grunted, trying to force the craft into the air by sheer will. The craft continued to speed up. The runway continued to get shorter. Cid continued to hold his breath. Yuffie whimpered at the change in altitude.

Then the craft was hanging on the air, tearing away from the runway and arcing up into the sky. Adrenaline flooded through Cid's veins, the familiar rush of taking flight. This was different though. This time, he wasn't escaping to the skies. He was escaping to the final frontier, with three fellow escapees. Kids. Just children, really.

"Where are we going?" Aerith asked.

Now came the tricky part.

"Out." Cid ground out through his clenched jaw.

"Cid, this is not Star Trek. We cannot roam around in space." Aerith's voice was uncharacteristically low and stern.

"Just keep pressure on that wound and let me worry about the voyages of the Starship Shera." Cid threw back.

"What if his brain falls out?" Yuffie sounded scared.

"He got hit deep, but not that deep." Cid said.

Then the airship pierced the veil separating Radiant Garden from the vacuum of space. The atmosphere fell away and all was solid black, dotted with stars and stretching endlessly. Cid felt a pressure build in his chest and his jaw fell open. This was it. It had actually worked. For years he'd been working on the most efficient craft to launch the first successful expedition to space and now…he'd done it.

Talk about living the dream.

"Squall? Cid, he's shaking. Squall? Squall?" Aerith was babbling.

Reality broke through the realization of the dream and Cid looked into the back row. Aerith was leaning forward, her hand clamped over the bloodied cloth and pressing it down over Squall's forehead. For his part, Squall looked mostly limp, but he was shaking slightly.

"He lost a lot of blood and is going into shock." Cid turned further. "There should be a blanket behind your seat. Cover him up and get that gash to stop bleeding."

"It's not a gash." Aerith grumbled, digging around and pulling out the aforementioned blanket. "It's a laceration and it looks like it went straight to the bone."

Well, wasn't that just great? Fan-fucking-tastic.

"Just wrap him up, don't rub—"

Cid was cut off as something zipped across the windshield. Yuffie yelped as the ship was jostled in the shock wave of the unidentified object. She grabbed the dash board, dropped her head, and promptly threw up on the floor boards. Cid was too distracted by the movement outside…out in space…to notice.

There were others.

Dozens of ships were zooming around out there: big, small, round, square, long, short, streamlined, and bulky. Cid gaped in amazement. These ships were being flown like the pilots had been flying in space for years. Where the Hell had they come from?

He took hold of the steering wheel again and altered the trajectory of his ship, turning into what appeared to be the traffic flow. Bits of rock and globs of matter were floating around in the stagnant aura of space. The other ships maneuvered around them like ribbon through water, smooth and natural. There was no air and no friction up here to hinder a craft's movements.

Cid gripped the wheel tighter, tempted to test it. Later, he promised himself. Beside him, Yuffie sat up and wiped her mouth, looking bewildered and pekkid. She looked back out through the side window and gasped.

"Wow…" She breathed.

Cid followed her exhalation and saw their world. Radiant Garden. It was just another world floating around out here. He frowned. Purple, black, and blue were dominating the landscape of their home. Those filthy creatures were running the place over. Radiant Garden wasn't going to be able to sustain so much living matter. It looked like a purple Death Star already.

"Sit, tight, kid." Cid cuffed her shoulder.

Yuffie slid back into her seat, pressing her back against the cushion.

"Where do we go now?" Aerith asked.

"These others have gotta be goin' somewhere." Cid thought aloud. "That means there have to be other worlds around here, space stations, pit stops, I'll take a spare asteroid at this point."

"We don't even know what they are. What if they're not friendly?" Aerith sounded nervous.

"Or they're giant, brain-eating aliens?!" Yuffie looked half scared, half excited at the idea.

"What a load of shit." Cid chuckled, "We've got bigger fish to fry. Besides, if they are brain-eaters, then you're safe." He smirked at Yuffie.

"Hey!" Yuffie giggled.

They fell quiet soon after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Cid kept his airship going at a moderate speed, staying with the general masses of the passing space craft. This was amazing. Most of the windows were tinted, so he couldn't see the pilots inside the other ships. He was half curious about Yuffie's alien theory…and the other half of him found it all ridiculous.

About as ridiculous as little black monsters invading your planet and booting you out.

The flow of the traffic changed and Cid leaned forward, squinting into the darkness. One of the stars was getting closer. Rather, they were flying closer to it. Another world, they were flying in space toward another planet. His stomach squirmed and he tilted the controls, breaking free of the fast moving pack and edging into a group of slower paced ships.

Some of these craft were damaged. Thrusters were smoking, wings were drooping, exterior plates were missing. This was the roughed up crowd. Maybe they were congregating toward some space mechanic station for repairs. Was it really that bizarre a concept? Just like air planes, space ships needed maintenance too.

The strange world bloomed into view. Cid squinted at the sudden light from it. The planet looming ahead of them was much, much smaller than Radiant Garden. It looked piecemeal, like some sort of rock that somebody had just started adding stuff to. It was shaped like an overlarge asteroid…only there were visible houses, buildings, and lakes dotting the surface.

A large building appeared to be hanging off one of the shallow canyons. It looked like a aircraft hangar, mostly indicated by the space ships that were swarming toward it. The broken, smoking ships limped their way toward the building, sliding through the inviting doors and disappearing.

"Let's try this out." He muttered.

Nobody offered up an argument, so he continued to tilt the Shera toward the hangar. Other ships shifted aside to let him join them. As the hangar loomed closer and grew larger, Cid could see dozens of people hustling around inside, directing ships to land and sending groups of people out of the hangar and toward a towering set of double doors. Some sort of entrance to the ramshackle world.

Cid lowered the craft enough to coast into the enclosed hangar. The landing gear flirted with the concrete and just like that, they'd landed on an alien planet. A wiry man with a mess of green hair was waving two glowing red sticks, directing Cid to taxi his craft over to the back of the hangar. Cid took his direction and coasted down the line.

Yuffie and Aerith, who'd remained in anxious silence, both released heavy breaths as the ship slid to a gentle stop. Cid released the steering wheel and slumped back in his seat, staring through the windshield at the chaos going on around their little ship. After a moment of drinking it in, Cid released the latch of his safety belt and sat up, sliding the door of the cockpit open.

"I'm gonna go check it out, make sure these people are level in the head." He said, standing up. "I'll be back with some help for gimpy there." He nodded toward Squall.

Aerith didn't look too thrilled about him leaving, but she had to know they couldn't just go barging around expecting everything out here to be safe.

Hopping down to the concrete floor, Cid breathed in the smell of spent fuel and burnt rubber. Definitely an air station. The man who'd directed him to park with his glowing sticks of power was setting said bars down, strolling around and chatting with…whoever, it seemed.

"Hey." Cid greeted gruffly.

The man turned and spotted him, wild green hair going in all directions. "Welcome, stranger. What can I do ya for?"

About a thousand questions burst to the fore front of Cid's mind at that moment, but he choked most of them back and focused on the most important.

"Do you have those black creatures around here?" He asked.

"We get the occasional skirmish, but the Heartless mostly avoid Traverse Town." The man said, grinning widely.

"Heartless? That's what their called? And this is Traverse Town?" Cid clarified.

The man offered a hand, "Right. I'm Steve."

"Cid." He shook his hand.

"Walk with me, friend, there's lots to explain." Steve said, pulling a glass bottle out of a nearby fridge.

"I can't." Cid shook his head slightly. "I've got some kids in the ship. One's bleeding. One's sick. One's close to having a nervous breakdown."

Steven held out one of the three glass bottles that had appeared in his hands. "First things first. Take this, it'll calm the nerves. Where's your ship?"

Cid unscrewed the bottle and walked with Steve toward his ship. He sniffed the head of the bottle. Hard whiskey. Sighing, he took a pull from the glass. The alcohol burned all the way down, but it warmed his gut and helped to loosen the knots in his stomach.

They reached the Shera and Cid climbed up onto the cockpit lid, tapping on the glass. "Hey, we're in the clear, guys. This is Steve. He's gonna help."

"Are you a doctor?" Aerith asked.

Steve handed her one of the bottles. "I'm as close as you're gonna get here, sweetheart. Drink this…for the nerves."

Cid helped Yuffie climb out of the cockpit and swung her to the solid concrete floor, helping Aerith climb out as well so Steve could get a look at Squall in the back. Aerith looked at the bottle, opening it slowly and sniffing the whiskey inside. She grimaced and tilted it away from her. Cid downed the rest of his small bottle of whiskey.

"Give the little gal this one." Steven handed off another bottle, leaving him with one little green one.

"I'm not giving her alcohol!" Aerith snapped, setting the first whiskey down.

"It's not whiskey. It's a potion to reduce the swelling in her lip. Looks like she got clocked pretty good." Steve said, urging the bottle at her.

"Potion?" Aerith took it, looking at it suspiciously.

"No trusties? Here, watch." Steve popped open the remaining bottle in his hand. "Move this seat up. I need to stretch his leg out."

Cid popped the recliner in the front seat. It bent and rolled forward, letting Squall's knees fall slack. Steve reached down and gripped the ankle of his broken leg and under the knee, lifting his leg up. Cid grimaced at the unnatural angle of the shin. Squall groaned and his hands gripped the armrests of the seat, but he didn't go beyond semi-conscious.

Steve let out a whistle. "Nasty break." He muttered. "Compound fracture, bone popped right through the skin."

Cid lifted the cloth briefly from Squall's face. The middle of his face was slashed open, but no longer actively bleeding. He carefully removed the bloody shammy and Steve tipped the potion bottle over Squall's busted leg. Squall groaned and something cracked like a whip. Cid looked down and saw the bone realign itself, snapping back into place.

"What the—" He trailed away.

The broken skin where the bone had protruded stretched and stitched itself back together, the ligaments reattaching and the muscle coiling back together under the mending skin. Steve looked unamazed at the transformation. He was already straightening and nudging Cid out of the way, looking at the slash across Squall's face.

"Dear, dear." Steve studied the wound. "This one's a boatload, huh?"

Cid sighed, "You have no idea."

Steve snorted and tipped the rest of his potion bottle over Squall's face. The green liquid sloshed down his forehead, displacing the blood that had slaked his face. Just as with his leg, the skin was sewn back together. The weird power that was forcing him to heal fell short, though, and as the remaining green trickled down Squall's throat, Cid frowned.

"It's still there." He noted aloud.

Steve exhaled heavily and prodded at the slash. "No, it's completely healed. Laceration was too deep, potion couldn't mend it all the way. It scarred over."

"Is it permanent?" Cid asked. "Because I don't see him liking this new development."

Steve lifted his shoulders, "Lucky he didn't bleed out."

Squall shifted, moving his head slightly. He opened his eyes slowly and blinked up at Cid. His pupils were out of focus, but they weren't filmed over with pain anymore. Plus sign for small blessings.

"Now, potions don't replenish blood, so he's gonna be disoriented and out of it for a while." Steve was saying. "He should be horizontal for a few hours after we get some liquid into him. Other than that, he's good to go."

"Thanks." Cid shook his hand.

Steve smiled and nodded. "Do you have anybody you can call?"

Cid took the whiskey that Aerith was staunchly holding away from her person and took a swig of it. "Not a one. Our home…home world, I guess…we weren't savvy on space travel before the…Heartless showed up this morning."

Steve bobbed his head knowingly. "Talk about a sour wake up call." He scratched the back of his head. "Well that just won't do. Tell you what, I live just over the items' shop in the First District. You guys and gals can bunk up there for as long as you need."

Cid hated accepting help from close friends, let alone strangers. But he wasn't stupid; he knew he couldn't take care of himself or these kids without some sort of charity effort. He had bigger pictures to look at besides his ego and pride.

"I would appreciate that, as long as it's not putting you out." He reasoned.

Steve waved him off. "I live in Traverse Town voluntarily, my good man, and this place is a refugee camp for those displaced by the Heartless. Help is all I do." He looked to Yuffie. "How's your jaw, sweetheart?"

Yuffie smacked her lips against the bitter taste of the potion. "It don't hurt anymore but it tastes like shit."

Aerith looked at the girl sharply and Steve snorted. Cid chuckled and finished the rest of the second whiskey flask.

"Whoowee, been around a swearing sailor too long, eh, cub scout?" Steve ruffled Yuffie's hair.

Aerith frowned at Cid, but didn't say anything. Cid lifted his shoulders flippantly. 'Shit' just about summed up his day, he wasn't going to call the girl out on a well-earned swear word. Instead, he stepped toward Squall, who was shifting groggily.

"Hey, man, you ready to get out of the back seat?" He offered.

Squall moaned and rubbed tenderly at his forehead. Cid watched him get his arms under him, straightening in the seat. If he was steady enough to handle himself, then Cid wouldn't bother him. Steve was more mother-hen inclined, however. The older man reached out to help. Squall glared at him so fast that Steve did a rewind, withdrawing out of Squall's bubble and backing almost out of the cockpit entirely. Cid snorted into his fist.

"Well…okay then." Steve clasped his hands together, recovering the situation. "If we're all set, I'll lead the way."

Cid kept a wary eye as Squall bumbled his own way out of the ship. Steve hopped down and waved to another man by the makeshift information station at the back of the landing area. The man waved back and Steve turned back to Cid and the kids.

"And I'm all yours." He informed with a grin.

Yuffie canted her head. "Did the black things take over your world too?"

"Yuffie." Aerith scolded, looking to Steve. "I'm sorry, she—"

Steve lifted a hand. "It's all right. Nothing wrong with curiosity."

Cid caught the hollow look in his eyes though and picked up the Gunblade from the back seat.

"I'll—" Squall started, reaching for it.

"You just worry about keeping yourself upright." Cid cut in. "I'd rather carry this than you."

The younger man clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, but he didn't press Cid further. Having as stern and Yes Sir, No Sir of a father as the Colonel, Cid figured the kid just didn't have it in him to back talk now. Made things easier for Cid.

"I've been here in Traverse Town for just over a year." Steve was saying.

They walked with the chatty man across the hangar and out into the First District of Twilight Town. Cobblestone streets, rural housing, and buildings appearing to have been slapped together and built one on top of the other: definitely refugee camp material.

"Heartless swallowed my home world whole." Steve chattered on solemnly. "Last image I have of my home was my wife and two daughters at the breakfast table, arguing over who stole whose doll that day." He chuckled and averted his eyes. "Last time I saw my family."

"I'm so sorry." Aerith offered quietly.

"I ain't tellin' the story for pity." Steve snorted. "I'm just saying…life could be a lot worse than a split lip and a scarred face."

Yuffie giggled and looked back at Squall, who frowned and quirked an eyebrow at Cid. For his part, Cid just tapped his finger between his eyes. Looking confused, Squall reached up and prodded at his brow. His eyes visibly widened at the raised, scarred skin.

"What did you do…" He muttered, tracing the scar down his face.

Yuffie pointed to Steve, "He did it!"

Steve looked to Yuffie, to Squall, and lifted his shoulders. "That or bleeding out?"

The Items Shop was a dinky little establishment lit by fire lanterns and with creaky wood flooring. It was bright enough to banish shadows, and for that Cid was grateful. Steven didn't spare eloquent talk about the bizarre bottles and material littering the store, instead leading them straight upstairs to the small second story apartment.

The apartment itself was as dinky and little as the shop downstairs. It was almost completely one room, with only one section walled off as a bathroom. The kitchen, if you could call it that, consisted of a refrigerator, a few cabinets, and roughly a half dozen microwaves. The room transitioned to a thrown-together living room with a sectional green couch and one double bed. Nothing fancy. Just the bare necessities.

"Ladies, there is one bathroom in the back if you would like to freshen up." Steve offered chivalrously, sliding a look to Squall. "And, uh, you want painkillers or something? You gotta have a migraine the size of—"

"I'm fine." Squall grunted.

Aerith gave Squall a flat look as she herded Yuffie toward the bathroom to wash up.

Cid set the Gunblade against the wall, looking to Steve. "I really appreciate this and I promise we won't trespass on your hospitality longer than is absolutely necessary."

Steve waved him off. "It's called being human, man. In this day and age, we can't afford pride."

Cid had to agree with that and Steve pulled open the fridge, lifting out two beers. Cid looked around the apartment, glancing over the walls. They had been completely papered with print-outs, pictures, photos, and newspaper clippings. Headlines, bold photographs, and status reports attacked Cid's vision and he looked back to Steve questioningly.

"Ah, yes, my little wall of knowledge." Steve said, seeing Cid looking at it all. "It started in a binder, just to take stock of all this going on. Months went by and the collection just sort of mutated." He handed Cid one of the beers. "So…where should the explaining start?"

Cid took the beer and twisted the cap off, looking back to the kids. "Maybe outside."

Steve nodded knowingly and the two marched back outside, under the clear, starry night sky, beers in hand. Cid heaved a sigh.

"First things first." He rounded on Steven. "What exactly ARE the Heartless?"

A dry smirk turned Steve's lips and he took a swig from his beer. "Starting off for the million, Regis." He commented softly. "It started about three years ago…"

The explanation was long and for every answer Steve provided, Cid had five more questions to ask. Tales about Heartless, Ansem the Wise, Radiant Garden being the epicenter, the disappearing stars, the legend of a sword shaped like a key, and the surviving rate of those who had been attacked by the Heartless: it was too much to digest in one sitting.

"So the King of Disney Castle is set to come to Traverse Town in a few days." Steve went on. "A lot of the refugees coming in now are young 'uns, like that Mr. Smiles you got with you. They're all uppity to get some revenge on the Heartless. Organizing a war effort and polling for some support."

Cid folded his arms, "And you think that's a bad idea?"

Steve ran a hand through his scraggly green hair. "They're just kids…Barely off the umbilical and they're talking about war and weapons…Too young for this crap."

Cid snorted, "You got that right."

Steve studied him a moment, "Speaking of, you're too young to have teenaged kids. Are they relation or…"

"As far as I know, all of their parents are dead." Cid said quietly. "They were the only live ones I managed to get out of Radiant Garden before everything went totally to Hell." He rubbed his neck, "I wish I could have saved more though. Damn," He hissed, "There were dozens of kids back there."

Steve nodded understandingly. "You've done good by the ones you got out, s'far as I can tell. Though that lanky kid—he's gonna be difficult when he gets his wits back."

Cid shook his head, grinning. "Squall, he's a handful. Got his leg broken after being flung into a building…The poor bastard manages to still shoot a dozen of the Heartless down when I'm carrying him to the ship."

Steve snorted, "Well, we'll need balls like that to combat the Heartless…They're poison, I tell you. Spread like gossip and die like rumors." He stretched his arms over his head, "Though from the looks of that Gunblade, you're ready for anything, friend."

Cid glanced up at the building. "Nope, that's the kid's."

"You're joking."

"His old man was a Colonel and a weapon's collector." Cid explained, looking up at the building. "I need to get back up there and check on them. They don't know each other very well and…Clashing personalities." He reasoned.

Steve understood that and the two men went back up to the apartment, only to find it very quiet. All three of the kids were piled on the one bed, all out cold. Aerith was on her back, one arm hanging off the side. Squall was on his side, looking more like he'd just landed there and not gotten up rather than intentionally falling asleep. Yuffie had sandwiched herself between them, nuzzling up against the older boy's back.

"Well, lookie there." Steve put his hands on his hips. "Exhaustion unites those at odds."

Cid leaned against the wall. "They're too young for this shit."

"Couldn't agree more friend. Hell, I'm too young for this, and I'm 48." Steve commented. He then sobered. "You know what you're going to do?"

Cid shifted, "About them? Dammit, I got 'em out of there. I can't just let 'em go waddling out on their own, now that everything's all fucked up."

Aerith, Squall, and Yuffie were all he had left of home, of normalcy, of Radiant Garden. He wasn't a fan of kids, less a fan of teenagers, but he was stuck to them now. If nothing else, he wouldn't be alone out in space-man-world, and neither would they. That was all the comfort he had for the moment.

"You seen a kid around their age with wild-ass blond hair?" He asked gruffly.

Steve sighed, "Sorry, friend, I haven't. There are a lot of very unique-looking people that come through here. It's hard to remember them all. Just because I haven't seen him doesn't mean he wasn't here. He one of yours too?"

"Sorta." Cid frowned, "His name's Cloud, close friend of Aerith's." He pointed to the girl on the bed. "She asked me to find him but…Those monsters were everywhere and Squall was bleeding out and I just…I couldn't find him. I feel guilty as Hell about it too."

"Don't be. There are dozens and dozens of other worlds out there. This Cloud fella might have been scattered over there. One thing about the Heartless: they prey on the weaker hearts. They like to linger around the stronger ones, but the stronger the heart is, the harder it is for the Heartless to take the person down."

"Well, he's just as stubborn as that one." Cid nodded his head to Squall.

"Then no worries." Steve clapped a hand over Cid's shoulder before crossing over to the kitchen.

Yuffie was squirming, whimpers carrying over to them. Nightmares. Cid cringed. He had saved her life twice today, but he could not handle consoling a sobbing child. Paternal instinct was a gift the Lord hadn't blessed him with and one he particularly didn't favor.

Luckily, Aerith roused at the mild stirring and woke up. Squall remained still as the dead, sleeping straight through the young girl's keening. Aerith shook Yuffie awake, murmuring softly, soothing the scary stuff away. Yuffie was crying and talking between her sobs, looking much younger than eleven and Aerith looking much older than 17 as she comforted her.

Cid couldn't blame any of them for nightmares. Hell, he'd probably have his fair share for a while.

After a few minutes, Yuffie's crying tapered off and she rolled over, burrowing under Aerith's jacket and snuggling her face against Squall's shoulder blades. She was lucky Squall was too out of it to notice. Aerith sat up, swinging her legs off the bed and dropping her head, leaning forward, eyes closed.

Concerned, Cid crossed over to her quickly, just in case she was going to get sick or something. As he drew closer, however, he saw that her entire frame had gone rigid and she was trembling.

"Hey." He grunted, trying to sound comforting and instead sounding like some raspy creep.

Aerith lifted her head, looking at him through her loose brown bangs. Her soft green eyes were moist. "I don't know how long I can do this." She whispered, almost inaudibly.

Cid regarded her quietly, feeling uncomfortable. How were you supposed to make someone feel better after their home was destroyed and their family killed? Something said a hug and a head pat wouldn't quite do it.

Taking measured breaths, Aerith stood up, rubbing her forehead. "I just…It's awful. This…why did this happen?"

She covered her face with her hands and fell forward on his shoulder. Cid stiffened but reacted in the only way that seemed to make sense: he put his arms around her.

"I don't know." He mumbled, "But it'll be okay."

The lie came off his tongue way too easily.

"How?" Aerith said, choking, her face buried in his shoulder.

Cid rubbed her back, "Somehow. I promise. It'll get better."

Aerith didn't open up and start bawling…Thank God…but instead lapsed into silent crying, clinging to him like he was some surrogate father…Well…he sort of was now…Huh. Cid blinked at that thought.

After a few minutes, Aerith composed herself and detached from Cid, wiping at her eyes. "Guh, I'm sorry." She swallowed hard.

Cid regarded her warily. "It's okay. And…and it's okay to break down sometimes, all right? You can't be composed and brave all the time."

Aerith sniffed, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "You are."

Cid snorted, "I also plow through a pack a day." He pulled a carton of cigarettes from his pocket.

Aerith looked at the pack in his hand for a second. Then she started to laugh, her voice heavy with emotional and physical fatigue. "That's true."

"Try to get some sleep." Cid said, sliding a cigarette out and digging in his pockets for a lighter. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you guys wake up."

He almost saw the weight come off her shoulders at that.

"Thank you." She was suddenly on him again, only this time for a proper hug instead of a mental collapse. "For…everything."

Once again, Cid awkwardly patted her on the back, unlit cigarette between his teeth. "Happy to do it." He said honestly.

She pried herself off, apologized again, and sank back onto the bed, laying down and stirring the others as little as possible. When he felt she had adequately dozed off, Cid walked to the window, cracking it and catching Steve's eye.

"You got a lighter?" He asked.

This had been a long fucking day.

Cid plowed through half of his last pack of cancer-sticks before he was anywhere close to relaxed enough to sleep, and even then, rest was fleeting. The kids didn't stir for hours after the first episode, and since he couldn't sleep, he rehashed explanations with Steve until the older man had to report back to the hangar to guide in ships. Then it was just Cid, alone with six cigarettes and a barrel of burdens weighing him down.

Shit.

He finally got a few hours of shut-eye before he woke up to find Yuffie talking Steve's ear off about how she was an elite ninja hired by the government in Radiant Garden to…blah blah blah. Cid tuned her out--he was getting better at that--and stood from where he'd finally collapsed on one of the couches, stretching and looking around the small apartment.

Aerith was washing dishes. She couldn't stand not making her keep just as much as Cid. Yuffie was swinging her legs off a stool, yammering at Steve while the older man nodded and laughed at her jokes, darning the elbow of a worn sweater. They were an odd crowd. To think, three days ago Cid had been chumming it up with 20 other bar frequents in the tavern in Radiant Garden.

The Gunblade was propped by the fridge. All of the blood and grime and muck had been meticulously removed, even from the nooks and crannies of the design on the hilt. Cid looked around, frowned, and noted the lanky teen's absence.

"He left a few hours ago." Aerith answered his silent question. "Hardly spoke a word before he left."

"He—" Cid gestured to the Gunblade.

"Like a madman." Steve answered swiftly. "That boy was raised by a weapons' enthusiast, all right. The cleaning that sword went through was downright anal."

"I thought anal meant butt?" Yuffie cut in.

Aerith snorted, turning her head. Steve smiled. Cid stood up.

"Which way did he go?" He asked.

Aerith lifted her shoulders, "He didn't say."

"I'd let him be." Steve said subtly. "He'll be back soon enough."

Cid ground his teeth. "I know, but after yesterday, I wouldn't put it past him to…I don't know, I'm gonna go find him."

He turned to leave when Yuffie piped up. "I thought his name was Squall."

Cid paused, looking to her. "It is."

Yuffie shook her head. "He said it wasn't."

Cid frowned, looking to Aerith, who knit her brow and lifted her shoulders.

"Well, it is his name. A man can't just up and change his name for no reason." He grumbled, heading downstairs and out into the First District.

Traverse Town had no real sky, not really. No daybreak, no sunset, no clouds and no clear blue. It was just an endless expanse of stars and blackness overhead. Like a perpetual night. Cid blinked and walked across the upper level of the First District, surveying the refuge they'd found yesterday. It had a homey feel to it, though Cid had no interest in settling here. He had no interest in settling anywhere, really. All he wanted was find a way to save Radiant Garden and bring normal back.

Unfortunately, normal had taken a hike.

He wandered for an hour through the three districts, scoping out the small businesses and set ups that had developed on the slapstick of a world. He was about to give up and go back to Steve's, or at least find a good cigarette vendor, when he spotted Squall.

The boy was sitting on the ledge of the cathedral-esque building near the back of the Second District. There weren't a lot of people in the Second District, and Squall was staring up at the stars, lost in his own head. That was a dangerous place to be.

Cid made his way across the District and found a ladder leading up to the flat. He climbed up it quietly, not wanting to spook the kid. God knew he was closed off enough as it was. Cid had no intentions of trying to worm a heart-to-heart out of the kid…It might kill them both…He just wanted to make sure…Hell, he had no idea what he wanted to be sure of…because Squall sure as fuck wasn't okay, and Cid had no damn clue how to help with that.

He opted for wandering onto the flat aimlessly, pulling out one of his precious remaining cigarettes and lighting up. He hadn't taken one inhale of the smoke before he knew Squall was onto him. That spine straightened up and those shoulders squared away from him. The pentacle of "Go away, I'm in no mood". Fortunately or unfortunately, Cid was quick enough to ignore nonverbal cues.

Cid drew a long inhale from his cigarette, feeling it burn down his throat and instantly uncoil his nerves. Taking the stick out, he exhaled a thick puff of gray smoke, taking his sweet time walking over to the ledge, though keeping a good ten foot distance from the teenager.

Squall had picked a good spot to get away. The ledge overlooked the entirety of the Second District, every building and all of the square. King of the district, in a sense. He seemed to have no interest in the district though, staring pointedly up at the sky, ignoring the older man.

Cid made no attempt at conversation, instead planting his hands on his hips and also looking up at the stars. Had to be something up there keeping the kid's interest. Stars. Hundreds of thousands of stars. Hard to imagine that each of those little dots of light was an entire world, with people and homes and families and…

A star close to the area where Cid was staring winked and disappeared. Cid blinked, focusing his eyes again. The star didn't reappear. There HAD been a star there, right? He frowned, sliding his cigarette back between his teeth and glaring up at the sky in earnest now.

Blink. Another spot of light faded from view. What the Hell? Stars weren't like candles; you couldn't just lick your finger and snuff it out. He was too young to be losing his sight yet, but how could…Another one bit the dust. Now this was just wrong.

"It's the Heartless." Squall ground out hoarsely.

Cid looked down at him slowly. He was slightly startled when he looked at him, having forgotten about the scar momentarily. That was going to take some getting used to.

"What?" He asked belatedly.

Squall shifted almost imperceptibly, not looking at Cid but keeping his eyes on the sky. "The Heartless are making the stars disappear. Like Radiant Garden."

Cid didn't miss the tiny hitch in his voice. "You think?" He asked gently.

"Poof and gone." Squall sounded almost indignant. "Shit." He hissed.

Cid inhaled and sank to sit a few feet away from him, hanging his legs over the ledge likewise. He didn't say anything, just plucked out another cigarette and held it out as a peace offering. Without looking at him, Squall shook his head.

"I don't smoke." He muttered.

"Good." Cid exhaled a lungful of smoke. "This shit'll kill you." He took another drag.

A not completely comfortable silence settled between them. They just stared up at the sky, watching the occasional star wink and fade out of existence. It was daunting…downright terrifying to watch worlds disappear at that rate. Sure, there were millions out there…but what kind of power did those Heartless fuckers have that they could conquer worlds so totally?

"You think they're all dead?" Squall asked bluntly.

Cid bit into his cigarette slightly. "Of course not." He muttered. "We don't know that Radiant Garden went blink, wink, bye-bye. It could still be out there." He cleared his throat, "I intend to find out soon either way."

Squall didn't move. "It's gone."

He sounded so…defeated. Cid swallowed. He'd have to tread lightly here.

"Steve said the Heartless can't harm strong hearts. I bet she's okay." He said quietly.

Squall tensed up and Cid knew he'd trespassed. They had neither seen nor heard anything of the Rinoa girl since fleeing Radiant Garden. Squall had to be guilty as Hell. Not a lick of this was his fault, but you get one ounce of guilt on you, it spreads like rabbits. From the look on the younger man's face, it was too late to nip that in the bud.

The teen lowered his gaze from the sky, casting his look instead blankly on the Second District. "I should have done something."

"None of us had any idea where anybody else was. There was no way to—" Cid started, but Squall cut him off.

"Not just that. I should have…I should have been able to stop it, force them back, keep people safe…" He said gruffly. "But I couldn't…I was too weak to do anything."

Cid turned to face him. "Now you cut that out, boy, and don't even try to shoulder responsibility for this." He barked. "You are one man, and one man has less than a snowball's chance in Hell of overpowering all of those Heartless."

Just like that, the iron curtain slammed behind the kid's eyes and he slid away from the ledge, standing up stiffly. "They're all dead, my dad, my mom, my neighbors, and probably Rinoa. The fuck it isn't my fault."

Cid stood as well. "That is retarded."

"Really? Is it? Then how is it that I managed to get out of there fine but everybody I care about was lost? I should have been able to do more than nothing." Squall clenched his fists.

"You're alive because I dragged your ass out of there." Cid threw back, "Otherwise, you would have stayed and martyred yourself, taking out as many as you could before those things killed you."

"At least then I would have done something useful." Squall spat.

Cid stopped short. "Shit, kid."

The raw, naked guilt in Squall's eyes stopped Cid from saying anything else. The teen stared him down, almost daring him to press on with the conversation. Sensing no further pushing, he looked Cid up and down once before turning to go.

"Squall…" Cid managed.

"No." He straightened. "Squall Leonhart was a weak coward who couldn't save his family. I don't want that name anymore. Not until…" He exhaled heavily, "Not until I can redeem myself."

Cid put his hands on his hips. "So who are you, then?"

The younger man hesitated, looking past Cid to the skyline in thought.

"Leon." He muttered after a few seconds.

"All right, Leon." Cid started. "What's next?"

The teenager narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to learn how to end the Heartless. Then I'm going to make it happen."

Cid frowned but couldn't bring himself to argue with him now.

"I never thanked you for saving me." Leon said.

"I don't need—"

"I'll thank you when I'm sure you didn't waste your time." He said flatly.

With that, the kid turned and climbed down the ladder, leaving Cid alone on the landing.

Heaving a sigh, Cid dropped his cigarette and stubbed it out with his boot, lighting up a fresh one and taking a much needed drag from it. Barely sixteen, with a voice still cracking, and the bonehead was planning on conquering evil.

They were all too fucking young for this.


End file.
